


Love is a fading flower

by Mellica



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, M/M, One Shot, Popular Lance (Voltron), Vld hanahaki disease, good ending, keith has hanahaki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:14:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23665213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellica/pseuds/Mellica
Summary: “Maybe I am a weirdo too then.” He whispered turning his head toward Keith. And oh lord… was it even possible to have bluest eyes than the sea itself? This boy was stunning and so fascinating.“Who-““The name is Lance.” He answered without even giving Keith the time to ask anything.Lance. Yeah, Keith knew about this boy. Everyone had heard the name of Lance McClain in this college...
Relationships: (but it's unrequited and was in the past), (shiro and adam are just mentionned), Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 120





	Love is a fading flower

**Author's Note:**

> It was a commission for one of my sweet instagram reader (I asked them if I could publish it. They asked for a klance hanahaki disease/college AU with a lot of angst but good ending so here I am with it).
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy it, I had a lot of fun and I actually let myself write too much for a free commission! I still have one to finish and then I'll be done with those ones!
> 
> Feel free to tell me what you thought about it and maybe leave a kudo ♥
> 
> (Oh and if you feel like the story could have been developped even more -which I actually think lol- understand that it was a free commission and that I could not just write a whole fanfiction ♥)

When did it start to hurt that much?

When was it?

When did such deep blue eyes started to be the reason of the hell he was living?

Keith’s eyes were stuck on the mirror above his bathroom sink, some petals scattering his chapped lips. He looked so broken and tired. The black circles surrounding his gaze were making him look desperate, and he knew things would only get worse.

It had only been worst since the day he had entered this college.

It had only been worst since he had encountered the angel who was killing him little by little.

\----------------------------------------

Keith never really enjoyed parties. Talking with people was annoying and stressful, so he would always stay alone, trying to avoid other students and to not get close to anyone. Being alone had never been something he disliked.

He was used to loneliness. Keith’s parents had died when he was still a child and his only family left was his brother Shiro, with who he was now living. But it was not a situation that was supposed to last, especially since Shiro had his own place, his own husband, his own life. For this reason, he always accepted the fact that he would play it solo until the end. And he was okay with this.

He also had Pidge, she was a great friend, always so attentive to everything without making their friendship awkward and pushing Keith to talk about stuffs he did not want to talk about.

She was trying her best to make him comfortable. That’s why, the day she begged him to come to this student party that would be hold, he did not find the strength to reject her proposition. Pidge was not the kind of person to appreciate those type of social events, but this one was special. A contest had been settled for people to introduce their own conspiracy theory, and of course Pidge had a thousand idea to propose. The winner would be able to win some money, but she did not really care about the prize. All she wanted was to brag about her thoughts.

That was how Keith ended up being taken to this much-vaunted party.

It was just supposed to be a normal night, maybe a bit embarrassing since Keith had no idea about how to socialize.

Everything was taking part in a huge mansion. The loud music was giving him a headache such as the chit-chats, and the alcohol was turning him sick. Pidge had disappeared somewhere in the crowd, and all those drunkards were playing with Keith’s anxiety.

He only needed some distance and calm. Nothing more than ten minutes alone. The party was in full swing as Keith was lay in the grass under this starry sky. The muffled sound of the speakers spitting the melody from afar could even be heard from there, but only the beautiful little sparkles shining at light years from his glance were getting his attention.

“What would someone do here when such a huge and dream-like party is happening a bit further?”

Keith immediately turned his gaze toward the voice that had pronounced those words.

A boy was standing there, smiling at Keith while holding what seemed to be a beer. He looked a bit tipsy, but not as drunk as some of the other students. He was wearing a sort of short hoodie, unveiling his belly and showing a small piercing on his tummy button. It was impressive how much skin this boy was showing with his outfit, but oddly, Keith found it super attractive.

Actually, this boy was gorgeous.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked without a bit of hesitation, to which Keith simply nodded.

Then in a second, the boy let himself fall in the grass, lying near Keith to get a better watch on the beautiful sky that the night was offering them.

At first, everything was just silent. Keith appreciated this moment, he would have been annoyed if this person had tried to act all talkative during such a peaceful time.

But somehow, this mysterious guy was making him curious. He was trying to look at him from the corner of his eyes, after all it was not that often that people were making a move toward Keith. Also, he was too anxious to start any discussion.

“What?” the boy finally said, entirely aware that he was being examined.

It took Keith by surprise, but at least now he did not have to start this talk anymore.

“Nothing… I was wondering what kind of people would rather spend a party by a weirdo’s side instead of enjoying it with everyone else.”

The boy chuckled softly. He had a sweet laugh.

“Maybe I am a weirdo too then,” he whispered turning his head toward Keith. And oh lord… was it even possible to have bluest eyes than the sea itself? This boy was stunning and so fascinating.

“Who-”

“The name is Lance,” he answered without even giving Keith the time to ask anything.

Lance. Yeah, Keith knew about this boy. Everyone knew the name of Lance McClain in this college. The popular guy that only the luckiest had a chance to get close to. He was known for messing around quite a lot. The reason of his behavior actually was a secret for no one.

Because every person in the college had heard that Lance McClain had contracted the Hanahaki Disease two years ago. He had fallen in love with a girl named Allura, a pretty and kind girl whose heart was already captured by another student. But who could control love anyway? Lance knew it was all in vain, but he wanted to believe he had a chance. Until Allura begged him to get the surgery, because she was unable to love him back.

Hanahaki disease was such an unfair illness. Between death and forgetting all the feelings you had developed for someone, which choice was the wiser? No one knew, but Lance decided to keep living by abandoning any kind of hope.

After that, he started to have a lot of random relationships. Girls, boys, older, younger, anyone would do as long as he would not fall in love. 

And who were people to judge him? No one would take the risk to live this experience twice after all.

“What now? You’re not going to give me your name?” Lance smirked a bit seeing that Keith was not saying anything.

“Oh uh… yeah. I’m Keith.”

Lance smiled at him, turning his gaze back toward the stars.

“Well Keith… you really look sadder and lonelier than me tonight.”

This short sentence had been enough to make Keith’s heart miss a beat. This boy really was fascinating, from his story, to his behavior passing by his gorgeous look… everything was so unique about him.

“Maaan… that party sucks! Nyma broke up with me and the only person I found is not a lot of fun,” Lance said stretching his arms before passing them behind his head “But you’re interesting, Keith, is it okay if I stay here a little bit longer?”

No.

“Sure.”

No it was not. Because the more Lance was passing time by Keith’s side, the more Keith’s heart was racing. He knew he should have put an end to this and just leave. But Lance seemed broken and lost. There was no way he could leave him alone. So he stayed all night laid in there, talking with Lance about so many things, sharing some anecdotes and some deep secrets.

They exchanged a lot. But it was all just the story of a single night. It was all the time of a stupid party.

Because the next day, when he crossed Lance’s path in the campus, opening his mouth to greet him, Lance ignored him.

Keith thought that it was okay. That this crush had just been the time of one sweet night.

Yet, when he started to cough in the middle of a class, just one or two simple coughs, he realized that he was done.

Because the scarlet color of his blood was now covering the blue petals of his unrequited love.

\----------------------------------------

“Keith!” Shiro’s voice could be heard through the bathroom’s door that Keith had locked to be sure he would not be bothered “Keith are you okay? You’ve been in there for a while now.”

Keith quickly glanced at his reflection one last time before turning on the tap to pass some water on his face. The fluid was flowing through the valve, taking away the numerous petals as it was sinking in the syphon.

Keith took care of erasing any proof of the disease and finally opened the door, facing Shiro with his tired look.

“Sorry for the wait, you can go now.”

He wanted to cough.

“Yeah… but still. What took you so long? It happens more and more lately. It’s not like you Keith.”

He was suffocating.

“Nothing, I was just enjoying a long bath.”

He needed to cough, right now.

“Keith… You know, if there is anything you can-”

Right now.

“I’m exhausted Shiro. I have classes tomorrow; I really have to go to bed.”

He did not even let Shiro answer. If he stayed there any longer he would explode for sure.

As soon as he crossed the door to his bedroom, he let everything go out. His lungs were hurting so much, and it was not even the worst part of the illness. The blue petals were spurting from his mouth. At least no blood was coming with it this time.

But it was getting way too obvious, that the more he was waiting, the more he was dying.

He was scared of telling Shiro or Adam, or anyone about what was happening. Because he knew what everyone would beg him to do. Though he did not want to.

He did not want to pass by the surgery.

He would rather die than to not be able to dream of Lance’s marvelous gaze every time he would close his eyes.

\----------------------------------------

Another exhausting day. 

Another awful class during which Keith had to block his breath to not feel the pain in his lungs. He should avoid to cough, because if he did, hundreds of flowers would spring from his throat, tainted by the red of his blood.

He had to stay focused on the lesson anyway.

But listening to a teacher was so hard when his breath was cluttered by an obnoxious infection. His heart was burning just by thinking about the face of a boy. A boy who would never love him back.

Because of the asphyxia, Keith could barely sleep anymore which did not help him to concentrate on classes.

“Ke…h”

The boy felt a small push against his shoulder, as if someone was trying to get his attention.

“Ke…th!”

Why was he not able to see the person who was calling for him?

“Keith!”

Keith suddenly straightened up, turning his head all around him to understand what was happening.

The lecture hall was empty. Apparently everyone had left. He was so tired that just blinking had made him fall asleep.

Right in front of him Pidge was crossing her arms, staring at the boy with a concerned look.

“Keith, I know falling asleep in class is every students’ routine, but it’s only noon and it happens a lot lately.”

Some rays of sun were piercing the huge windows of the place, enlightening the whole area and dazzling the boy a little bit.

“I did not sleep a lot last night. That is why,” Keith answered before coughing a little bit. Thanks god, no petals went out.

“Keith… you’ve been acting weird lately, and it’s not getting any better. Everything about you is so odd,” Pidge’s voice sounded worried, Keith could hear it, but what should he say? The truth would trouble her even more, he did not want that. “You’re always tired, you don’t go out anymore, you never talk and when you do your voice sounds… weird.”

Keith glanced at Pidge. The disease started to be noticeable.

“It’s as if every time you were talking you were suff-”

“We should go Pidge. I’m starving.”

Pidge was staring at Keith. He had interrupted her because he did not want to let her understand. He had to keep it a secret, he should not let anyone know. He was not ready to hear people say that his case was desperate to the point he had to make a choice between forgetting and dying.

Because he would never choose to forget.

And he was ashamed of being so weak.

Luckily, Pidge did not insist and decided to engage in another discussion, bringing her conspiracy theory as the main topic.

Keith loved to hear her speak about her passion. Pidge had no idea but she was incredibly captivating. People usually thought that she was just a nerd behind her glasses and her grumpy look, but truth was that her knowledge were completely impressive. There was not a day Keith was not learning something from her.

Spending time with Pidge was making days shorter, he sometimes even was able to forget about his suffering.

She was an amazing friend after all.

“Okay now, I hope the refectory is not too full and that we still have something to eat since someone decided to take a nap instead of joining me to eat.”

Keith sighed at this remark.

“I got it already, I swear I won’t be late at lunch time anymore.”

“Better be true,” Pidge said passing the door to the refectory.

Keith was not really crazy about this place. Not only the food was kind of suspicious but also crowded areas were always complicated to face.

It was already stifling enough for him to handle the bunch of flowers blocked inside his throat, so when he had to resist social anxiety, it was just adding more to his stress.

Eating surrounded by so many different people, so much noise invading the same room mixing every students’ voices together, the refectory was a living hell for Keith.

So as he was tasting the peas inside his plate, playing with them by pushing the food with his fork, Keith was doing his best to only give attention to Pidge and her voice. As long as she was speaking and staying by his side he would not feel overwhelmed by all those people. He would maybe even be able to forget about his asphyxia.

Or at least, that was what he thought. Because when he saw this silhouette entering the refectory and walking to a table where other people were already sat, Keith widened his eyes, unable to look away from Lance.

He was speaking with his friends in such a casual way, laughing like a fool as if there was no problem.

Lance’s strands of hair were shaking every time he would giggle, falling in front of his wonderful deep blue eyes to the point it would bother him. He would then pass his long and thin fingers in his hair to clear his gaze, and this gesture was enough to drive Keith crazy.

Lance was more beautiful as the days were going on and Keith was fascinated by him. By his little freckles scattering his face, by his dimples in the corner of his lips, by this piercing on his button belly that his shirt was hiding but that Keith could guess through this flimsy cloth.

There was no way he could look away from this sunshine.

But when Lance sensed this stare on him, catching his interest, finally crossing eyes with Keith through this huge canteen, Keith felt his heart jolt in his chest. Incredible and singular ocean eyes piercing his dark look and touching his soul to make the boy fall even more in love with him.

Though life was unfair, and Hanahaki was fatal.

And at the moment Lance broke this eye contact, ignoring Keith as he had always done since this party, the agony in Keith’s lungs blasted, producing a sudden fits of coughing that he was unable to stop.

Pidge was watching him, trying her best to figure out what was happening. So she started to ask one time, then a second time. And at the third time, when Keith was doubled up with pain, she noticed some weird petals falling from the hands that were covering his mouth.

“Oh my god… Keith you-”

She could not even finish her sentence that the boy jumped away from his chair and ran away.

“Keith, wait!” She screamed chasing after him, bringing even more spotlight to their little scene.  
But no one would understand, not even Lance whose eyes were peering this moment with a slight concern.

\----------------------------------------

Never had Keith threw up because of the pain.

He had coughed a lot, spitting a troubling amount of blood, but never had the asphyxia been so strong to the point it was making him throw up.

The petals were burning his lips as he was coughing in the toilets. Pidge was holding his hair, stroking his back with her warm hand.

She did not say a thing. She was just present for Keith, doing her best to support her friend who had struggled a lot against this damn illness.

Everything was so excruciating. The butterflies in Keith’s stomach that the sight of Lance caused him had become tiny and fine lames that were slowly ripping the inside of his gut. His lungs were so full that the air could barely find a way to penetrate them, making him drown even more. But the worst was probably this sorrow in his heart, tearing his emotions apart, turning him so pitiful.

Love was already hard; love was already painful.

So why did he have to suffer even more?

“Keith… What-”

“Don’t,” Keith cut Pidge before she could tell anything. He had stopped throwing up and for now his coughing was over “Don’t ask… Please.”

The girl was staring at Keith, silent for a second. She was biting her lower lip so heavily that she started to bleed. There was no way she would shut the fuck up.

“You are fucking stupid Kogane! Of course I will ask! I will ask and scold you, and kill you and…” tears were rolling down her cheeks. She hated to see him like that, especially since she had been his friend for so long yet unable to realize what he was going through. “Stop… keeping everything for yourself,” her whines were awful to listen to “I… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I never noticed.”

Keith did not have the strength to look at her. He was ashamed. 

“It’s not your fault Pidge. You could not guess.”

“But I should have!” she shouted, wiping her wet eyes. For some minutes, Pidge did nothing but cry and call Keith ‘stupid’ ‘idiot’ ‘dumbass’ and other words that actually suited him a lot.

He wished he would have been able to say the right things, to reassure her with some kind and hopeful words. But he could not, because there was no faith anymore. Because he was not ready to get better.

“Who?” eventually, the girl said as her hiccups due to her cries stopped.

“Lance McClain,” Pidge gave him a worried look. Keith could see how hard she was trying not to cry again.

“Oh my god Keith… Of all the fucking human on earth it had to be Lance…” she sighed, putting a hand on her face. Everyone knew Lance’s case. Everyone knew that this boy had gave up on love two years ago. “Why? How do you even know him?”

Keith hesitated. Telling Pidge that it all started at the party where she had taken him would only make her feel guilty. It would be unfair, Pidge had nothing to do with this story.

“It just… happened. We talked for a whole night and I mean… he is incredible, Pidge…” he said softly smiling to himself “so interesting yet so insecure. I’ve never seen someone as sensitive as him who would be strong enough to keep so many struggles inside him. I never enjoyed talking to someone that much. Pidge he is…” Keith’s smile was slowly vanishing, and his expression was now darkening, giving place to a terrible melancholy “He is not someone I want to forget. I love to be in love with him…”

Pidge exhaled at those words. It was going too far, but there was no way she would let Keith drown more in this desperate and unrequited love.

She would save him, no matter what.

“Does Shiro know?” she asked, quietly.

Keith’s eyes were stuck on the floor where some beautiful petals were spread. Their blue color was wonderful, almost as beautiful as the ocean eyes of Lance. Those precious and incredible eyes that Keith adored so much.

“No he doesn’t,” Keith answered with a cold tone. He was aware of where this conversation was going.

“You have to tell him.”

“No.”

“What?” 

Pidge was glaring at Keith with her mad look. She was about to explode.

Keith could see that each day was a new step closer to his death, that if he kept refusing to have surgery, he would not make it. And still…

“I told you. He is not someone I want to forget.”

This answer was enough to make Pidge pour all the only tears that she had been able to hold back until now.

Love truly was not a game she could understand neither she wanted to play with.

\----------------------------------------

How many days had it been already?

Keith almost found it impressive how this illness had not taken him yet. He could barely breathe anymore; every inspiration was like a razor blade cutting the inside of his throat. He could not exhale without coughing and bleeding.

The smell of the petals was overwhelming his body to the point that he was almost sensing it. Maybe others were also aware of this perfume that he was releasing.

Actually there were already rumors about Keith. People started to talk and to notice.

Yet, no one knew whose soft touch had made him fall so deep in a bitter love.

The evening was slowly devouring the shiny day, bringing the red light of the sunset. Keith was sat outside on a bench, waiting for Pidge to finish her class. Since she had learned about his situation, there was not a day that had been spent without her trying to convince Keith to have surgery.

She was making it so hard to resist. He had almost given up. But every time the memory of Lance’s sweet chuckle was emphasizing his mind dissuading Keith from doing it.

How his world would be plain without those ocean eyes…

A gentle smile was stuck on his lips as he was repeating this same night in his head, dreaming about Lance’s voice and wise words. He kept imagining the way his body would shake as soon as he would laugh and these beautiful movements his hands would do when they were passing through this soft brown hair.

He would do anything to live this moment one last time. He would do anything for Lance to notice him one ultimate instant.

“Mind if I join?”

Keith opened wide his eyes as the lovely tone of a melodious voice pierced the silence of the evening. Was he dreaming? Had he think too hard about this night that he finally started to have hallucinations? Was he dying?

No.

No he was not.

It was really Lance. There was no way his imagination would be able to reproduce the perfection of this blue gaze that was digging in his own pupils.

“Keith?” Lance asked again “May I?”

“Yeah… Yes, you can,” the boy had to hold back a cough. His lungs were burning so much, he started to hope for Pidge to quickly come and put an end to this moment. Having Lance so close to him was making it worse. Everything was so painful. The fast beatings of his heart were about to make his chest explode and were preventing him from breathing.

It was nothing next to the suffering the petals were causing him.

Lance was his only weakness after all.

“So… who is it?” Lance finally said, admiring the sunset with an odd obsession.

“What?” Keith was looking at him but never did the boy pay attention to this. Surely the sunset was a better show.

“I heard about the rumors. And I went through this. I can tell… that you’re lovesick.”

The silence that followed this sentence was so disturbing that Keith could see Lance slightly flinch.

“Do surgery,” the boy finally added.

“No,” Keith’s answer did not even have to be waited, because even spending such a short moment with Lance was enough to make him remember how much his presence was precious to him.

“Are you dumb?” Lance said, finally looking back at Keith “I can tell from your hoarse voice and the way you try your best not to cough. You smell like flower and you throw thousand tissues covered by blood. Can’t you see that you are dying?”

Keith was pressing his fingers together. Somehow, hearing those words from Lance were reassuring him, because it gave him the feeling that he was important, that the boy he loved actually cared for him. Even just a bit. It was making him happy.

“I know it is hard…” Lance’s voice was crackling as he was now focused on the red sky above them “I know… how it is to keep hoping. That you don’t want to lose the memory of the one you adore, that you keep fearing the moment their image will vanish just because of a surgery. I felt the same way with… her. I can’t even remember how it felt to be in love and I keep avoiding this feeling because I’m a coward but…” Lance stopped, as to think about the words he was about to say, about how to express them “You can fall in love again, with someone who won’t hurt you. You don’t have to be broken the same way I am.”

Keith could not turn his gaze away from Lance whose eyes were filled by shiny pearls of tears. Obviously he understood, obviously he was the only one conscious of Keith’s wound, but it was only making Keith fall for him even more.

“The one I love is the bravest person I ever met,” Keith started to explain, unable to hold back a cough that let some petals spurt from his mouth. “We actually don’t talk a lot. It was just one time, but it was the most beautiful moment of my life. I just wish I too was part of their most beautiful memory. It will never be the case, they’re out of my league. Popular, handsome, kind, funny, interesting and a bit clueless sometimes. I know there is no point about waiting for them, because they can’t love me,” Keith’s dark eyes were piercing the blue and desperate stare of Lance who slowly started to understand what was happening. “But I don’t want to give up on them. Because they deserve all my love,” he paused and softly smiled “He deserves to be loved.”

With those words, Lance could just ignore the confession, act like the clueless one and live his life like he had always done. Keith was not actually waiting for an answer; he would soon die anyway. He could feel it by the iron taste on his tongue and the difficulty he had to talk.

Though, if Keith was about to die without having the chance to let Lance know that he had been loved, then he would have regretted it for the eternity.

Lance had been loved, and that was all this world needed to know.

Seconds were passing without any other noise that the wind’s blow. Eyes locked, neither Keith nor Lance dared to move. But when the voice of Pidge echoing from afar and calling for Keith came to their ears, Keith would have sworn that Lance wanted to say something. 

Yet those words apparently were not meant to be told, because as soon as the girl ran toward them, Lance left, sparing no word for Keith.

It was okay.

It was not as if Keith had hoped for anything anyway.

At least he was happy, to have shared one last talk with Lance.

\----------------------------------------

The night was completely dark. Not a star was shining high, only clouds hiding the bright sky of an early summer. Keith was at his window, crying like a fool as the pain in his body was definitely killing him.

He could tell that he had reached his limit.

He could tell that tonight was his last night, and not even the moon would be accompanying him through this last agony.

Thousands petals were covering the floor around him, blue petals… as blue as Lance’s eyes. Such a simple thought could make him so soft.

What was he doing right now? Was he happy? Was he sleeping?

Would he remember Keith?

Keith’s lips softly stretched in a smile. He was tired of this life, he was tired of this torture, he was tired of all those cough and all this blood. But never would he be tired of Lance. Never would he regret falling in love with such an incredible boy.

The clock on his bedside table was showing ‘2:14 am’. Maybe he would live one more hour. 

He would lie if he said that he was not scared of dying, here, alone in this room without being able to apologize to Shiro, Adam, Pidge… they would understand.

Because if he had surgery, there was no way he could live happily after.

As his eyelids were slowly making him fall deeper in the darkness, his breathing struggling to pass by the ridiculous area in his lungs that was still not filled by petals, Keith heard a ringtone coming from his phone.

He turned his head to look at the item, barely able to move because of how exhausted his body was.

Keith wanted to let it ring until it would stop, but it never actually stopped.

The ring resonated again and again and again until Keith succumbed and decided to look at the number.

It was an unknown number, and still the person was desperately tempting to reach for him. Maybe it was a sign, maybe it was an important call that Keith had to hear before definitely abandoning his life.

“Yeah?” He said, unable to avoid a cough.

“Keith? Keith is that you?”

“Who is it?” Keith’s head was about to burst, talking had become the worst effort he could do.

“Lance.”

This name made his heart beat so strong that he almost felt like his time had come. Why was Lance calling him? How did he even have his number?

“I…” Keith heard on the other end of the line “I got your number from this friend of yours.”

“Pidge?”

“Yeah, her.”

Another silence. It was strange. But for Keith to be able to hear Lance’s harmonious voice as he was giving his last breathing, was the last thing he could have hope for.

“Why did you-”

“She gave me your address, because I told her I had to see you.”

It was impressive how such a simple sentence could make Keith believe in a happy ending. He knew he should not be glad, he knew he was probably misunderstanding everything, but he wanted to have hope again. He wanted for this moment to be true.

“Where are you right now?” 

“If I’m not wrong, I’m in front of your house.”

Keith immediately raised up, using the last strength he had to walk toward the house’s entrance coughing unrestrainedly, letting all those petals spread around him with drop of red blood. He was dying, but no matter what, he wanted to see Lance. He had to see Lance.

“Keith are you okay?”

This concerned voice speaking through the handset was building his hopes. He could not talk without choking and yet, if he had to spare his last words for someone then it would for sure be Lance.

And when eventually he reached the door of the house, a small hesitation passed through his mind. What if he was dreaming again? What if all that was just a lie? What if Lance was taking pity on him?

Why would Lance even love him back so suddenly?

“Keith…” The boy heard a sigh, and Lance’s voice echoed once again “Just open the door.”

With that, Keith put his hand on the handle to open the door, allowing him to see Lance standing behind it as he was cutting off the call.

The night was still dark, but now the light of the moon was piercing the thick clouds that were covering all the stars.

Lance’s blue eyes were stuck on Keith. He was not as bright as he usually was, his expression showing nothing more than a serious and melancholic face.

But he was as beautiful as ever.

“Why me?” Lance asked as Keith was closing the door so Shiro and Adam would not be awakened by their talk.

“I don’t know…”

“Why not someone healthy and way more accessible?”

“I don’t know…”

“Why someone who’s killing you?”

“I don’t know…”

Lance bit his lower lip, trying his best to not let any tear flow in front of Keith’s impassive face. Still, when his eyes caught sight of the little blue flowers stuck on Keith’s lips, on which the taint of red was giving another shade of color, he could not help but break down.

He had suffered enough. Why would not love let him alone once and for good?

He had already given up on feelings in the past, he had already played with his own life and his own heart.

He was scared.

So scared to trust Keith and give him his last hope. It has been since the first day they had met.

The way Keith was so different from all those people, his way to see the world and to be free. Lance loved that, he had loved that since the very instant he had put his eyes on him at this damn party.

But there was no way he would fall in love again.

There was no way he would let anyone reach his heart to destroy it the same way Allura had done in the past.

That was why he decided to keep distance. It would be better like that. Lance would not suffer if he just did not imply himself more with this boy, like that he would not fall in love. Like that he would not suffer.

What a fool.

He should have known better than anyone that feelings could not be erased that simply and that love was not a thing he could control.

As the tears were rolling down his cheeks, Lance straightened up his chin to face Keith again.

Inside his dark hypnotic eyes were sparkling pearls of water and maybe a tiny light of hope.

This hell had last enough.

Lance was tired of fighting, and he knew that Keith was too.

It was time for them to let go.

“If…” Lance’s tone was low, but sweet and reassuring, catching all Keith’s attention “If I entrust you the last pieces of my heart, you better take care of them… because if you break me I swear I’ll never forgive you!”

Hearing this, Keith burst into laughter and tears, his emotions exploding because of one and only boy. He could not believe it was happening, he could not believe all this was actually true.

He felt like it was all just an illusion or maybe a dream.

Yet, when he closed the distance between Lance and him, passing a hand on this soft and wet cheek, wiping with his thumb one last tear that was escaping from Lance’s eye, Keith realized that it was the first time since the beginning of his hell that something felt that real.

There was a little instant of hesitation, as if both were scared of seeing this moment vanish. But when eventually their lips touched, sensing the delicate skin of their bodies warming up by this amazing contact, they understood that all of this was never a dream.

It was just a moment to pass. A suffering to live.

But in the end, they always were meant to be together.

And in this smooth time, as their kiss was more and more passionate under the moon’s white light, Keith noticed how easy breathing had suddenly become.


End file.
